


Dear Santa

by Heart_Seoul_Soshi



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28258212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heart_Seoul_Soshi/pseuds/Heart_Seoul_Soshi
Summary: ~You're the only girl I've got on my listI write your name, I know it's foolishBut I chase the feeling, 'cause you keep me dreamingThat I could make you mine, make you mine this season
Relationships: Evie/Mal (Disney)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 42





	Dear Santa

[ _**[x]** _ ](https://youtu.be/04wE_jNzz1M)

* * *

Jay and Carlos snickered the entire way to the chair, toting Mal along with them and then shoving her front and center. Embarrassing. They were the tallest ones around, they had absolutely no business being there. But the beady eyes watching them all from behind gold-rimmed glasses were amused, not at all objecting to seeing what appeared to be troublemaking high-schoolers at the head of the line.  
  
"Oh ho, and what's your name?" Santa asked.  
  
Carlos elbowed Mal with another snicker. Jay gave her another shove forward, and she caught herself just in time to shoot him the nastiest of glares over her shoulder before turning back to Santa. She played along.  
  
"I'm Mal."  
  
Santa Claus patted his knee with a gloved hand, and Mal sighed as she stepped forward to take the traditional seat on his lap. She could feel the awed and envious stares of the toddlers that had been in line behind her.  
  
"Have you been good this year, Mal?"  
  
It was just some guy in a suit and fake beard, but Mal gave him props; those eyes of his twinkled just like the real Santa's would.  
  
"I doubt it. I mean, I tried, but..."  
  
 _A for effort,_ she supposed.  
  
Santa's laugh was the perfect _"Ho ho ho",_ deep and joyful. The boys looked to be on the verge of hysterics with poorly-stifled laughter of their own. The sight of Mal with the mall Santa was a hilarious one.  
  
"Well now, there's still plenty of time until Christmas. Plenty of time for you to do some good deeds," Santa playfully tapped a finger to Mal's nose. If it weren't for the crowd of tiny, impressionable kids, she might've decked him for that little maneuver. "Now then, what's on your Christmas list, Mal?"  
  
At that moment and that moment alone Mal looked out in front of her, not to the boys, but to Evie, who had been standing quietly behind them the entire time. Smiling. Not getting an immature kick out of seeing Mal in Santa's lap like Carlos and Jay were, but finding it rather endearing.  
  
The one thing that was on Mal's list, Santa couldn't bring her. Not the real Santa Claus, and certainly not the one posted up from four p.m. to six at the city mall.  
  
 _I just want to make her mine...  
_  
It was silly, she knew this. If Mal couldn't even land herself a solid spot on The Nice List, how could she ever be good enough for Evie?  
  
So, she defaulted. Asked Santa for a drawing tablet, one of the sleek touch screen ones that danced through her head instead of sugarplum fairies every Christmas Eve.  
  
Santa Claus promised a tablet if Mal promised to work on those good deeds, and for being such a sport his brightly-dressed elf assistant gifted her with a candy cane, one of the good fruity ones in place of plain old peppermint.  
  
"M, that was so sweet," Evie gushed as the four friends walked away.  
  
"Yeah, so sweet that the rest of you didn't bother to humiliate yourselves along with me," Mal's ire was directed only towards the two knuckleheads still staving off laughter.  
  
"It's not humiliating, I loved it!" Evie said. "I would've gone up too, I just don't know what to ask Santa for yet. But you knew exactly what you wanted. You're so cute."  
  
It was these sorts of things that occurred on the regular that kept Mal dreaming, deluding herself into thinking perhaps Evie was hiding a crush of her own behind innocent statements and gestures that she could easily pass off as friendship to keep her secret safe. It would've been simple enough to ask, with a big deep breath and an _"Evie, do you like me?"_ But Mal had no idea what sort of answer she would get, and in a situation like this one, ignorance was the closest thing she could get to bliss.  
  
Feelings for Evie were only made worse by the holiday season, where kissing under mistletoe and cuddling under warm blankets were quintessential. The friends had come to the mall to do some Christmas shopping and catch The Nightmare Before Christmas on a movie theater big screen, but for Mal even the simple setting of the shopping mall emboldened daydreams of holding Evie's hand and admiring festive decorations in the storefronts. Getting to be with Evie any other time of year would've been a gift enough, but getting to be with Evie for the holidays? Talk about your Christmas miracle.  
  
Mal was glad to see the boys had settled down by the time they reached the escalators, where Jay and Carlos had plans to shop around upstairs.  
  
"Meet us at the food court in like an hour, yeah?" Jay told the girls.  
  
It was a plan, and the two pairs went their separate ways.  
  
"So Mal, what am I going to get you for Christmas?" Evie asked as they strolled. "Santa's already called dibs on the tablet, I need gift ideas too."  
  
Mal couldn't have her hand warm and snug within Evie's, so she settled for stuffing both of them into the pockets of her hoodie.  
  
"You could change your mind about coming downtown with us to see the Christmas lights," she suggested. "Four is better than three, you know."  
  
Evie's chipper Christmas spirit dampened a bit with a frown.  
  
"...M, you know I'd love to go with you guys, but—"  
  
"I know, Chad used to take you every year and the last thing you want to do is spend an evening being reminded of that creep. Trust me, that's the last thing I want to do too," Mal rolled her eyes as she always did at the subject of Evie's ex-boyfriend.  
  
Cheating Chad had been out of the picture since the beginning of the year, and Evie was over it. But she'd only ever seen the Christmas lights with someone's arm around her and a shoulder to rest her head on, it was hard for her to imagine seeing them any other way.  
  
"Let me think it over a little longer," she said, hoping Mal could be pacified with that response.  
  
Mal had never gone to see the lights before, and her heart was set on seeing them with Evie. She was far from pacified with that response.  
  
"E, why bother hanging on to old, bad memories? It's Christmas time, make some new ones with Carlos, and Jay, and me," she said.  
  
Evie bit her lip as she started to think it over sooner than she expected.  
  
"...I do like the sound of that," she mused.  
  
Mal knew her best friend, and she knew that tone of voice. Evie was already beginning to budge, and she was simply in need of more convincing.  
  
"Four million twinkling lights, two miles of dazzling displays, hot chocolate and caramel corn and Christmas cheer..." Mal did her best impression of the flyers posted all over town. "It'll be so much better going with us than it ever was with Chad."  
  
They'd been ambling along until something caught their eye, and Evie slowed to a stop not to shop, but to ponder.  
  
"You've never been to the holiday light festival, have you M?" she wondered.  
  
"I haven't. Are you really gonna let my first light show be without you?"  
  
Evie giggled. Mal just always seemed to make everything so simple, so clear.  
  
"...No, I'm not. It's what you want for Christmas, after all," Evie caved in a lot easier than either girl thought she would.  
  
Mal lit up in a special sort of way that only Evie managed to bring out of her.  
  
"Besides, how could I say no to something that makes you smile like that?" Evie laughed.  
  
Wow. Was it really any surprise that Mal found herself slowly but surely falling for that girl over these last few months?  
  
"Alright then. Saturday. Pick me up at six. And don't be late," Mal said.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

Mal decided to walk out the front door and brave the cold the moment she got the message from Evie saying she was on her way.  
  
She could've done the sane thing and kept warm inside until met with a text that said _"I'm here",_ but Mal was too excited to just sit still and wait. She was ready for lights and laughs, and being at Evie's side. So, facing the brutal chill of winter wind whipping around outside her house was all worth it when Evie's car pulled up, and when Mal climbed inside to find the heater blasting and seat warmers waiting. She could always count on Evie to warm her up.  
  
Evie talked as she drove, and Mal tried very hard to partake in the conversation, but she was so easily distracted by the sound of her voice and how she looked in her cozy winter outfit. In between Evie's recounting of her favorite annual light displays and building her best friend's anticipation, Mal dreamily admired the knitted hat atop her head and the waves of blue underneath.  
  
"You make this yourself, E?" she wondered, reaching out to carefully feel the soft material.  
  
Evie giggled, as if bashful under Mal's touch.  
  
"I did. I'm happy you noticed," she said with a smile.  
  
"Of course I noticed. It looks perfect. No way it could be anything other than an Evie original."  
  
Another endearing giggle for Mal to hang on to.  
  
"Thank you, M. You know, I'm so glad you talked me into going with you guys, it's the only thing I've thought about all week."  
  
"Me too," Mal could easily admit such things to Evie. "I've heard Santa Claus might show tonight. Maybe you can have your turn at telling him what you want for Christmas, if you've thought of something, that is."  
  
Evie's smile turned into a smirk.  
  
"I've been doing a little thinking, yes."  
  
Mal was ever so curious to know what that grin was supposed to mean, but the conversation fell away then, and the Christmas music coming from Evie's radio was the only noise in the car until they hit downtown.  
  
Brightly lit signs started to lead them off the road and down side streets to where the parking area was, but Evie knew the way by heart. Mal was beginning to see lights of all colors off in the distance, waiting patiently for her to draw near. Jay and Carlos had beaten them there, standing around Jay's car so the girls could spot them and park nearby.  
  
"You ready?" Evie asked excitedly as she turned her car key and cut the engine.  
  
They could've come all this way just to sit and watch paint dry—it wouldn't have mattered in the slightest to Mal so long as Evie was there wearing that same eager smile.  
  
"So ready."  
  
They opened their doors and stepped out onto a gravel path, long and winding, the beginning of the walk through the fantastical light displays.  
  
"Hey!" Carlos waved when the girls met them. "You guys warm enough?"  
  
"I'm fine," Evie said. "I just wouldn't turn down a hot chocolate."  
  
Jay chuckled.  
  
"Alright, let's get going then," he spun around and led the way.  
  
He could be a gentleman when he wanted to be, and paid for everyone's tickets at the admissions booth that waited just before they stepped forward into the official start of the glittery holiday tour.  
  
Mal had no idea that Christmas lights could exist on so grand a scale. Against a black backdrop of night, the displays seemed to live and breathe completely on their own. There was a towering Christmas tree made entirely of light, with red and green presents scattered underneath and a mischievous elf sneaking off with one as alternating flashes appeared to make his tiny feet move.  
  
The path they walked along was lined on both sides with streetlamps also made completely out of lights, as were the bright green wreaths that decorated each one. They passed under glowing archways of twinkling poinsettias and saw sparkling gingerbread houses dotted all around, the world surrounding them bright and glittering like something out of a children's book. Everything the eye could see was built out of Christmas lights, from the shooting stars above their heads to the giant snowflakes fluttering to the ground.  
  
"Imagine how much work this takes," Mal marveled.  
  
"Almost makes it seem like magic," Evie said brightly.  
  
There she was, with her trademark view of the world as something that could easily be teeming with magic. It was one of the many, _many_ things that Mal adored about her; a refreshing change of pace from the cynicism she often lived her life in.  
  
"I could set up something like this, no sweat," Carlos proudly said. He and Jay were walking a little ahead of the girls.  
  
"Something _like_ this isn't _this_ ," Evie teased.  
  
"It's really not," Mal would agree with her no matter what was said.  
  
Carlos turned so they had a good view of his pout before he fell into step beside Jay again.  
  
There was a sparse scattering of trees among the displays now, real ones, but each one still sporting lights wrapped tightly around its trunk. Strings of reds, greens, whites, ice blues, and blues the rich shade of Evie's hair.  
  
"Having fun?" Evie asked, suddenly looping her arm through Mal's.  
  
So suddenly that for a brief moment, Mal didn't know what to do with herself. She hesitated in her answer and didn't respond right away.  
  
"...What? What is it?" Evie now fretted.  
  
Without any warning, a laugh bubbled up from somewhere inside Mal. It was a laugh brought about by Evie's sheer closeness, she was practically giddy to have at least one small fragment of her many wistful daydreams come true, intentionally or not.  
  
"It's nothing, I'm...just speechless, that's all," Mal said. It wasn't a lie. "It's so beautiful and festive, this is the perfect place to be tonight."  
  
"Why are you talking like a Hallmark card?" Jay mocked her over his shoulder.  
  
"You leave her alone," Evie jumped right to her defense. "M, listen."  
  
Mal tilted her head to do just that, first one way, and then the other. Evie's insistent stare made sure she heard it, the ambient sounds of sleigh bells and a horse's hoofbeats crunching through snow being piped in from speakers somewhere they couldn't see.  
  
"...They really go all out," Mal chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, I can't believe I almost let myself miss this."  
  
It was hard to tell, but Mal imagined that she felt Evie tug her in even closer. She was relieved that Jay and Carlos were here, for if they weren't, poor Mal might've fooled herself into thinking this was something rather akin to a date.  
  
Evie could tell when the friends were halfway through just by how long they'd been walking and how many fantastical decorations they'd seen. At the end of the gravel path would be the Christmas market, with stalls for food, hot chocolate, and shopping. As much as Evie was enjoying her wintery stroll through the sea of colored lights, it seemed to be getting colder out, and she couldn't wait for a warm drink.  
  
A cheerful Carlos started to pull them all off the path here and there to take pictures with the lights, posing Mal and Evie in front of a snowman tipping his hat, getting a shot of the four of them in front of an oversized present, even having Jay throw up bunny ears behind a twinkling Santa Claus. It was nice of him to capture the memories, but Mal knew she wouldn't need pictures to remember the fun she was having tonight.  
  
For now, this small moment frozen in time, it didn't matter that she didn't have the courage to admit her feelings and hope to turn a best friend into a girlfriend. Just getting to see the Christmas lights with Evie on her arm was enough for tonight, enough to cement these fond memories in her mind forever.  
  
Reaching the end of the lights was bittersweet, but also so worth it when they came to the Christmas market and were greeted with music and the smells of warm, delicious food. Mal watched Evie's eyes light up when she caught a whiff of hot chocolate, and taking her hand, led her straight to the booth.  
  
"My treat," Mal said as they got in line.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah. Consider it the least I can do to say thank you for coming with me—I mean, us."  
  
"...You are the best," Evie said with a big smile.  
  
It was nice to sit at a little table and rest their feet with a hot chocolate break. Mal knew that Evie would want to get up and shop around at the stalls in a little while, so just sitting for a bit made for a nice pit stop. There were heat lamps all around here, and although they couldn't completely fight off the chill of the outdoors, it certainly made the Christmas market cozy enough. The boys had gotten hot dogs and taken off somewhere, leaving Mal and Evie to themselves for a moment in the little bubble of winter.  
  
"This is what makes it my favorite time of year," Evie wistfully said after a sip of her drink. "It's the _feeling,_ you know? The one you can't put into words."  
  
Mal sat with her chin in her hand, unknowingly sporting the biggest of smiles as she listened to Evie gush over Christmas. Absolutely head over heels.  
  
"And yeah, the music and the lights help, the hot chocolate _definitely_ helps," Evie went on. "But that feeling just exists on its own. It's something in the air, like—"  
  
She interrupted herself with a big gasp.  
  
"...What?" Mal questioned, her smile disappearing.  
  
Evie's wide eyes were staring straight at her, and the point of a finger followed. Mal looked down at herself without a clue, until suddenly she saw what it was that had shut Evie up so easily.  
  
The purple of her hair hanging down past her shoulders was flecked with white. White was fluttering down in front of her nose too, slowly but surely. There was a chorus of little kids erupting into cheers, and Evie sounded no different from any of them.  
  
"It's snowing!" she practically shouted.  
  
"It's snowing," Mal repeated, laughing.  
  
Wherever Jay and Carlos were, they were no doubt making just as much of a ruckus over the snow as the small children were.  
  
"You see??" Evie tilted her head back and giggled at the tickle of snowflakes melting on her cheeks. "This, Mal. This feeling! It's just magic, there's no other way to describe it!!"  
  
The music above their heads kept right on playing over the noise of excitement. Now, it was "This Christmas", something that immediately had Evie swaying to the beat without even realizing it. Mal's smile was back. This fascination with Evie really couldn't be helped.  
  
"Dance with me," Mal said.  
  
"...What?"  
  
Mal held her hand out over the top of the table.  
  
"Come on, it's magic, remember?"  
  
Evie wasn't about to argue with the truth. She took her hand and practically jumped to her feet, pulling Mal along with her and twirling her around. Mal didn't care who might be watching; this was fun, and dancing with Evie under the season's first snowfall was the only way she intended to end her night.  
  
"Next year. Same time, same place," Mal said as she took her own turn at giving Evie a spin.  
  
Evie agreed wholeheartedly.  
  
"And the year after that, and the year after that."

* * *

The snow fell quietly all through the night, and into the morning and afternoon. Mal stood at the window, looking back and forth between the white wonderland out on the front lawn and the sorry state of the Christmas tree in her living room. Green and bare, without a single ornament or even a hint of tinsel. Her mother was out, and even if she were home, it wasn't as if Mal's mom could be counted on to help decorate the tree. What Christmas decor was around the house already was all courtesy of Mal, who had spent an entire three days silently hanging wreaths and tinsel out of sight of her perpetually grouchy and ill-tempered mother.  
  
But a Christmas tree couldn't be decorated alone—not well, at least. Already Mal was getting horrific mental images of being tangled up in lights or falling off of something trying to climb up high enough to get the star on the tree. Christmas was a week and a half away, and although that was an eternity for little kids waiting on Santa to arrive, it left Mal with a very narrow window to get her tree done up in peace.  
  
What it also left her with was an excuse to call Evie, not that she ever really needed an excuse.  
  
She left the window and flopped down flat on the sofa, listening to the tv in one ear and a dialtone in the other. When Evie picked up, even before she spoke, Mal was already alight with the anticipation of hearing her voice.  
  
 _"Hello?"_  
  
"Hi. What are you up to?"  
  
 _"My pre-cal homework."_  
  
Mal grimaced.  
  
"E, it's the second day of Christmas break. You're seriously doing homework?"  
  
Evie gave one short laugh in Mal's ear.  
  
 _"Unlike you, some of us don't believe our homework will magically disappear if we ignore it for long enough,"_ she said.  
  
Mal sat up, glancing again out her window. The piles of snow were bright and sparkling.  
  
"Have you looked outside? This is no time for homework. Come over, I need help decorating my tree."  
  
Well, Evie may have liked school, but that certainly did sound like a much better use of her time than pre-cal. She went into Christmas break wanting to get her homework done right off the bat, to have the rest of her vacation free, but she could honestly spare a day or two. Mal needed her, after all.  
  
So, all Mal had to do now was wait. She was good at waiting for Evie. Soon enough she'd be there for Mal to smile and laugh with as they tried to sort out the tree, unraveling lights and hanging up ornaments.  
  
It was sort of funny how these last few days had been going. Ever since December hit its stride and kicked into high gear, Mal's head had been filled with thoughts of Christmastime at Evie's side. Maybe she didn't have kissing under mistletoe, but what she did have was Christmas lights arm in arm with Evie, decorating a tree together, holding hands as they waited for hot chocolate, and dancing under the snow. Now that Mal was thinking about it, it was almost as if that unspoken wish to Santa Claus had slowly been coming true.  
  
 _I just want to make her mine._  
  
She brought the boxes in from the garage while she waited and thought she'd get a head start on untangling those lights, sitting on the living room floor and half-listening to the Christmas specials marathoning on the tv. She only looked up every now again to watch, seeing the characters on the screen getting up to holiday hijinks of their own.  
  
Last night, Evie had talked about the feeling of Christmas, the one that simply hung in the air and couldn't be put into words. It was a lot like the feeling Mal had been chasing all this time, the unspoken feeling that had her believing if she ever tried to kiss Evie underneath a sprig of mistletoe, maybe, just maybe, Evie might kiss her back.  
  
The eventual ringing of the doorbell was a most welcome sound, and Mal gladly abandoned the nest of lights on the floor to get to her feet and let Evie in.  
  
"One expert tree trimmer, at your service," Evie grinned, taking off her beret and shaking the snow out.  
  
Mal hurried to close the door behind her and keep the cold outside where it belonged. But it seemed it had already gotten to Evie, turning her cheeks bright red and the tip of her nose too.  
  
"What, did you walk here?" Mal teased.  
  
Feelings. Hanging in the air and existing all on their own. They were what made Mal cup her hands around Evie's cold cheeks for a moment, hoping to help melt away that chill.  
  
Mal wondered what feeling it was that made Evie close her eyes and sigh happily as she did so.  
  
"You're always so warm," Evie said. "You're perfect for winter."  
  
"Am I?" Mal lowered her hands and helped Evie out of her coat. "Lucky you then."  
  
It was this unspoken feeling exactly that kept Mal dreaming.  
  
They went into the living room and got right to work, not that either of them were in any kind of a rush to get finished. The poor tree just looked so miserable without its trappings, neither girl could stand to let it suffer much longer.  
  
The lights had to come first. Mal needed Evie to unravel them on one end and follow her around the tree as she laced them through the branches on the other end. Evie watched her pick up the bundle of plain white lights from the floor and immediately protested.  
  
"Really Mal?"  
  
"Really what?"  
  
"Really boring, that's what. Use these colored lights you left sitting in the box, like the ones at the light show yesterday."  
  
Mal didn't dare point out that this was her tree, not Evie's.  
  
"But I already got the white ones untangled. Sort of," she argued instead.  
  
"So? We'll just untangle the other ones."  
  
It was hilarious how Mal briefly entertained the notion that she might win against Evie and do things her own way.  
  
Only the two of them could turn the dreaded chore of untangling Christmas lights into a good time, and as per usual, listening to Evie was the smart thing to do. The rainbow colored lights made the tree look wonderful all on their own, even without the help of any ornaments. But the ornaments of course deserved a place too, and Mal had a whole box of those as well.  
  
She and Evie spent more than an hour picking out their favorites and hooking them onto the branches of the Christmas tree. Purple ones, blue ones, blue with silver spirals of glitter, shiny, frosted, some in the shape of pinecones, some made of nothing but paper and glitter glue from Mal's elementary school days. Evie fell in love with those ones right away, and insisted that the tree be decorated with all of them where Mal tried to shove them back in the box and hide them away.  
  
An entirely different Christmas movie had started by the time they finally finished and sat back on the floor to admire their handiwork.  
  
"It's beautiful," Evie said, turning her head to look at Mal.  
  
"Just missing the star," Mal got to her feet again to ferret out which box the tree topper was in.  
  
Evie eyed the size of the Christmas tree against Mal's five foot two. A chair from the dining room was definitely in order here.  
  
"Hang on Mal, I've got you."  
  
She stood up too, fighting off laughter after being immediately plagued with the image of Mal taking a running leap at the tree in an effort to get the star on top.  
  
Mal had found it by the time Evie came back with the chair; nothing special, just a simple star to be a golden beacon in the living room once it was set in place. Evie moved the chair close to the tree and held it steady while Mal clambered on.  
  
"Can you reach?" Evie asked, looking up at her.  
  
Curse Mal's annual insistence on getting the tallest tree she could lay her eyes on. They were picture perfect, yes, but for the countless year in a row now she was just short of the top even with the chair. So up on her tiptoes she went, her traditional fail safe that always helped her get the star on the tree but sent a mini heart attack through Evie as she watched her do it.  
  
"M, please be careful," she begged. She didn't even want to think about how Mal used to manage this without someone to hold the chair still for her.  
  
"Relax, I'm a professional."  
  
"Mhm," a skeptical Evie rolled her eyes.  
  
Professional indeed, Mal set the star atop its perch without a hitch and started back down off the chair. Evie was right there, hovering protectively as Mal came down with one foot first and then the other. She was perfectly fine, Evie had no reason to gently hold her until her feet were planted firmly on the floor.  
  
"...See, I told you I've got you," she said.  
  
"I didn't really doubt it."  
  
For one last time they admired the tree together, completely finished now. _Their_ Christmas tree. No longer just Mal's, but Evie's too.  
  
"It's the best, Mal."  
  
"It is. Thanks for coming over to help," Mal flashed her a happy smile.  
  
"...As if I'd ever turn down a chance to spend time with you."  
  
There were moments all through the afternoon where Evie's attention was on Mal more than it was on the tree. She looked at her now and found a lone pine needle stuck in her hair, almost hidden in the dark purple. Evie chuckled as she lifted a hand and brushed it loose, her eyes lingering on Mal a tad bit longer than was strictly necessary.  
  
From the very beginning of this crush, Mal told herself she wasn't supposed to ask. _"Evie, do you like me?"_ was the taboo question. She trusted Evie completely, and knew she would never be cruel in her answer, but that didn't mean a "no" would be any easier to hear from her. For that reason, Mal simply didn't ask. Even now, with that invisible feeling that always tugged at her heart suddenly seeming to charge the air between her and Evie, Mal still couldn't ask it.  
  
So she asked something else instead.  
  
"...What was on your Christmas list this year, E?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"At first you didn't see Santa because you weren't sure what to ask him for. Then you told me you'd been thinking of something. So, I was just wondering...what's on your Christmas list?"  
  
This time Evie didn't need a wandering pine needle to brush her fingers through Mal's hair. Now, it was something she did entirely on her own.  
  
"My Christmas list?" she mused. "Exactly what I just said. Time with you. Light shows and snowfall and getting to spend my favorite time of year with my favorite person in the whole world... _you_ , Mal. _You're_ on my list. You always have been, and you always will be."  
  
Mal _knew_ there was a reason she kept chasing this feeling, never giving up on it or daring to stop dreaming. Forget the lights, and forget dancing in the snow or decorating the tree— _this_ was the Christmas memory she'd be hanging on to forever. It always seemed to be a question of whether Evie's words and actions were meant to be platonic or a little something more, but it was a question no longer. The softness of Evie's voice and the loving shine in her eyes were anything but platonic.  
  
And yet, Mal hadn't said anything, even though countless thoughts were busy racing through her head. It made Evie falter, her features furrowing with worry at Mal's silence. Saying such things out loud and hearing nothing echoed back felt very much like the sick feeling of missing a step up a dark staircase.  
  
"...What about you, M? Anything on your list besides a fancy new tablet?" she wondered, nervous now.  
  
Mal snapped out of it just in time to gently pull Evie into the biggest hug she could ever possibly give her, holding a hand to the back of her head to cradle her close and say everything without a word.  
  
"...You're the only girl on my list, Evie. Now and forever," Mal murmured in her ear.  
  
So warm. Mal really was perfect for winter. Evie could stay in these arms for the rest of the season.  
  
"Now and forever," Evie agreed with that sentiment. "Santa Claus sure is getting a head start this year, not even Christmas yet and we already have our gifts."  
  
Mal pulled away and let her hold on Evie lazily slide down around her waist.  
  
"I still want that tablet though," she said, completely straight-faced.  
  
"Mal!" Evie laughed.  
  
"Kidding," Mal's straight face melted into one big grin.  
  
No way was she about to start flirting with The Naughty List. After all, she had something so much better to flirt with now.  
  
There was shopping at the mall and seeing Santa, and an evening surrounded by the magic of dancing lights. There was the warmth of walking close to one another and the chill of the year's first snow. There was also decorating a tree together, bravely admitting truths to one another, silently making vows to go forward hand in hand from here on out.  
  
And although there wasn't mistletoe, there was still finding a blanket big enough for two and deciding to share the rest of the afternoon with Christmas movies on a cushy couch. The real Santa Claus had certainly come through for both of the girls this year. Mal had to remember to leave him an extra plate of cookies come Christmas Eve.  
  
This was always the best part of Evie's year, her absolute favorite. With her head laying on Evie's shoulder and the blanket tucked in snugly around them, Mal made it her favorite too. The good old song definitely knew exactly what it was talking about—it was the most wonderful time of the year.  
  
The happiest season.  
  
And neither Mal nor Evie would ever argue otherwise.


End file.
